Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has made no secret of the fact that he would like to see the club bring in more attackers before the end of the summer transfer window.
At the time of writing, Lukas Nmecha is the only attacker signed by the Whites so far, having joined on a free transfer from Wolfsburg early on in the window.
Lukas Nmecha
The Championship champions have still yet to replace Manor Solomon, who returned to Spurs at the end of his loan spell last season, with a new winger to bolster the squad.
However, Farke is reportedly on course to land a new option to pick from in the centre-forward position, in the form of free agent Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The Athletic's David Ornstein reports that the former England international is set to undergo a medical before completing a switch to Elland Road.
It currently remains to be seen whether or not he will be signed in time to make his debut against his former club at Elland Road in the Premier League on Monday.
What Dominic Calvert-Lewin could bring to Leeds
Above all else, Calvert-Lewin is a proven Premier League striker who has been there and done it in the division over a number of years at Everton.
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin
The 28-year-old star scored 71 goals in 273 matches in all competitions during his time with the Toffees, as per Transfermarkt, and will bring experience that Farke does not currently have in that position with Nmecha and Joel Piroe.
Even when he is not at his best from a technical perspective, the 6 foot 2 marksman will also provide a physical presence in the number nine position for Leeds. As per Sofascore, the forward won 3.3 aerial duels per game at a success rate of 51% in the top-flight last term, which shows that he can hold his own against towering defenders.
However, there may be some understandable concerns about his goalscoring record over the last four seasons or so, as he has been far from prolific of late.
|Dominic Calvert-Lewin's Premier League career|
|Season|Appearances|Goals|
|---|
|24/25|26|3|
|23/24|32|7|
|22/23|17|2|
|21/22|17|5|
|20/21|33|16|
|19/20|36|13|
|18/19|35|6|
|17/18|32|4|
|16/17|11|1|
|Stats via Transfermarkt|
As you can see in the table above, Calvert-Lewin has not hit double figures for goals in the Premier League since the 2020/21 campaign, when fans were not allowed in grounds, and only scored three times last season.
dominic-calvert-lewin-everton-premier-league
This suggests that Leeds will need plenty of creativity in their side to ensure that enough chances are created to boost the English striker's output, and a fresh report suggests that they could be on course to add a big creative threat.
Leeds have held talks to sign Championship star
According to CaughtOffside, Leeds United have already held talks with the representatives of Leicester City attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss.
The report claims that the Whites have already offered contract terms to the Morocco international, with a £50k-per-week deal waiting for him at Elland Road if he opts to make the move.
It adds that the number ten has a £24.5m release clause in his contract with the Championship side, and that the West Yorkshire outfit are willing to pay it to snap him up this summer.
CaughtOffside reveals, though, that Newcastle United, RB Leipzig, and Borussia Dortmund are also interested in the 21-year-old playmaker, which means that it will not be an easy deal for Leeds to get over the line.
Bilal-El-Khannouss
It is now down to the Championship champions to convince El Khannouss that a move to Elland Road is the best next step for him, and this report suggests that is exactly what they are trying to do at this moment in time.
Why Calvert-Lewin would love El Khannouss
Signing the Leicester playmaker shortly after agreeing a deal to sign Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer could make a lot of sense, because they have the potential to strike up a partnership for the Whites in the upcoming season.
El Khannouss is an attacking midfielder who plays behind the striker, as a number ten in Farke's 4-2-3-1 system, and this means that he would be directly behind the former Everton man and tasked with supplying him with chances to score.
Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss in action
As aforementioned, Calvert-Lewin has not been in the best of form in front of goal in recent seasons, which means that it is imperative that the Whites supply him with plenty of opportunities to get him back on the goal trail and back to his best.
El Khannouss may have been relegated from the Premier League with the Foxes in the 2024/25 campaign, but he was still able to showcase his quality at the top end of the pitch.
The 21-year-old talent delivered three goals and five assists in all competitions for Leicester, per Sofascore, but his underlying numbers in the Premier League were even more eye-catching.
24/25 Premier League Bilal El Khannous per 90 Percentile rank vs AMs & wingers
xAG 0.19 Top 46%
Assists 0.12 Bottom 35%
Passes attempted 43.85 Top 15%
Progressive passes 5.28 Top 14%
Passes into the final third 3.67 Top 10%
Key passes 1.73 Top 37%
Through balls 0.45 Top 16%
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, El Khannouss ranked highly among his positional peers in a host of creative metrics in the top-flight, but was not rewarded with the assists that his excellent play deserved.
These statistics show that the Moroccan youngster is an attacking midfielder who likes to find his teammates in dangerous positions in the final third, with progressive passes, key passes, and through balls to cut open opposition defences on a regular basis.
Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss in action with Crystal Palace's Chris Richards
His creative prowess was on display for Leicester in their opening game of the Championship season against Sheffield Wednesday, as he recorded two assists and created three 'big chances' in a 2-1 win for his side, per Sofascore.
The £24.5m-rated talent would be a dream for Calvert-Lewin, therefore, because he has the creativity, the passing quality, and the Premier League experience to be a dream number ten for the striker to play ahead of.
Whilst it will then be down to the forward to make the most of those chances, the former Everton man will be delighted to have a player who can consistently tee him up for shots at goal.